Re-Carbonizing Row Crop Ag Lands: Evidence-based management strategies to increase soil carbon and promote financial resilience for farmers.

Justin Mount2019 NRCS Liaison to Midwest Climate Hub LiaisonJuly 2019

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Concepts and Considerations: Point out USDA Climate hub locations, functions and services View observed and predicted rainfall variability Establish attributes and functions of productive soils Explain Soil Condition Index (SCI) View Integrated Erosion Tool (IET) crop system editor interface Discuss IET outputs and intended use Propose short and long term strategies to promote adoption

USDA Climate Hubs

Learn more about the Midwest Climate Hub

Summer (June-August) rainfall in Iowa

Soil Carbon and Crop Available Water

Crop System considerations resulting from intensified and varied precipitation events

• Precipitation variability: Spatially (locality) Temporally > precip intensity

outside of growing seasonMore weather events resulting

in excessive soil loss

• Increased nutrient loss likelihood: Leaching Runoff Surface Manure applications

moving offsite Atmospheric releases

(denitrification)

• Crop protection chemicals: Efficacy adjustments Movement of agrochemicals Offsite impacts

• Increased need for drainage (surface and subsurface)

• Field days reduced: Pre-plant operations Planting Crop nutrient applications Crop protection chemical

applications Harvest Cover crop planting

Loss of Soil Carbon in Corn Belt (mollisol)

Functions of Soil

Partition & Regulate flow of water Cycle nutrients Buffer & Filter Contaminants Provide structural support Provide productivity and biodiversity

Soil Conditioning Index (SCI)

FO

ER

OMWater-induced erosion: Sheet erosion Rill erosion

Wind-induced erosion: Saltation Creep Suspension

* Monitor fields for Ephemeral and Gully Erosion.

Field Operations: Ground / Arial Inversion tillage Horizontal tillage Vertical tillage Planting operations Nutrient applications Row cultivations Land leveling Etc…

Organic Matter:Biomass and residue additions: Plant roots Crop residue Manure Mulch

Biomass and residue removals: Grain removal Silage production Baling Grazing Burning

Soil Conditioning Index (SCI) – crop management goals

FO

ER

OM

• Nutrient placement

• Emergency tillageContinuous Living Root

Total combined erosion ≤ 1 ton / ac / yr

Integrated Erosion Tool (IET)IET is a digital map-based interface designed to supply site specific and crop management data to current NRCS crop system models.

WEPP = Water Erosion Prediction Project

WEPS = Wind Erosion Prediction System

CR LMOD = Conservation Resources Land Management Operations Database

IET models both Wind and Water induced erosion

IET digitally documents the farmer’s cropping system

STIR = Soil Tillage Intensity Rating

IETOutputs

Integrated Erosion Tool (IET) – some graphs available for analysis

Economic incentives and financial resiliency benefits will encourage annual row crop farmers to prioritize and manage for increasing soil carbon.

Short term

Financial assistance provided by 2018 FarmBill programs such as: EQIP = Environmental Quality Incentives Program CSP = Conservation Stewardship Program RCPP = Regional Conservation Partnership Program

Long term

Reduced crop yield variability

Increases in plant available water

Soil rewetting ability is magnified to capture more water during intense rainfall events

Cleaner and fewer runoff events – healthy soil absorbs and cleans water

Improved cycling of primary, secondary and micro nutrients

More days open for ground engaging field activities

Greater financial resiliency and profit stability

Local Ag Retailer integrated into business model of increasing soil carbon at the field level

Carbon Market(s), existing and emerging, participation more lucrative

Examples of NRCS Conservation Practices which can be designed and implemented to increase soil carbon:

328 Conservation Crop Rotation

329 No Till / Strip Till / Direct Seed requires < 20 annual Soil Tillage Intensity Rating {STIR} Strip Till –area disturbed must be 1/3 or less of the planted crop row width Full-width tillage prohibited

340 Cover Crop

345 Mulch / Reduced Till Allows full width tillage which leaves ample surface cover excludes most heavy primary and some secondary tillage operations inversion tillage operations are prohibited

Nutrient Management (590), Pest Management (595) and Irrigation Water Management (449)

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